MPH newsletter SUMMER 2006 Kansas State University • Master of Public Health Program contents Kabriel Completes Internship at The Cooper Institute ................... 2 Chickenpox Immunization Focus of Field Experience Project ......... 3 Calendar of Events ...................... 3 Job Announcement ...................... 4 Russell Selected for CDC Fellowship Mindi Russell, a K-State Master of Public Health graduate student with an emphasis in food safety, was recently awarded one of twenty EID (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Advanced Laboratory Training Fellowships. The fel- lowship is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The one year program emphasizes the practical application of technologies, methodologies, and practices related to emerg- ing infectious diseases. Fellowship awardees receive a one-year stipend and a travel allow- ance to attend professional meetings. Russell will attend an orientation session at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia in August to gain a general understanding of the public health laboratory system. In September, she will be- gin work in the Bioterrorism and Emerging Pathogens Unit at the North Carolina De- partment of Health and Human Services in Raleigh, North Carolina. (A) A tapeworm egg from either a T. solium or T. saginata (B) T. solium tapeworm scolex with four suckers and two rows of hooks Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (A) (B) Her primary focus will be on the development of accurate and rapid methods to detect Taenia solium, a pork tapeworm, found in human stool samples. T. solium can cause cysticercosis when an immature tapeworm (a cys- ticercus) is ingested from raw or undercooked pork. Cysticercosis is found world-wide and is the leading cause of adult-onset epilepsy. Mindi, originally from Arkansas City, Kansas in Cowley County, is also completing a Master of Science in food microbiology at K-State and has served as the Food Science Undergraduate Recruiter since January 2005. Under the guidance of her major professor, Dr. Daniel Y.C. Fung, she is investigating the multiple antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance profiles of generic E. coli and Enterobacter spp. samples collected from lagoon water in bovine feedlots. To learn more about the EID Advanced Laboratory Training Fellowships, visit www.aphl.org New MPH Students for Fall 2006 Sara McReynolds Godfrey Nkwantabisa Kathleen Ritzmann
Russell Selected for CDC Fellowship Mindi Russell, a K-State Master of Public Health graduate student with an emphasis in food safety, was recently awarded one of twenty EID (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Advanced Laboratory Training Fellowships. The fel-lowship is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The one year program emphasizes the practical application of technologies,
methodologies, and practices related to emerg-ing infectious diseases. Fellowship awardees receive a one-year stipend and a travel allow-ance to attend professional meetings. Russell will attend an orientation session at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia in August to gain a general understanding of the public health laboratory system. In September, she will be-gin work in the Bioterrorism and Emerging Pathogens Unit at the North Carolina De-partment of Health and Human Services in Raleigh, North Carolina.
(A) A tapeworm egg from either a T. solium or T. saginata(B) T. solium tapeworm scolex with four suckers and two rows of hooks
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
(A) (B)
Her primary focus will be on the development of accurate and rapid methods to detect Taenia solium, a pork tapeworm, found in human stool samples. T. solium can cause cysticercosis when an immature tapeworm (a cys-ticercus) is ingested from raw or undercooked pork. Cysticercosis is found world-wide and is the leading cause of adult-onset epilepsy. Mindi, originally from Arkansas City, Kansas in Cowley County, is also completing a Master of Science in food microbiology at K-State and has served as the Food Science Undergraduate Recruiter since January 2005. Under the guidance of her major professor, Dr. Daniel Y.C. Fung, she is investigating the multiple antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance profiles of generic E. coli and Enterobacter spp. samples collected from lagoon water in bovine feedlots. To learn more about the EID Advanced Laboratory Training Fellowships, visit www.aphl.org
New MPH Students for Fall 2006
saramcreynolds
GodfreyNkwantabisa
Kathleenritzmann
Kabriel Completes Internship at The Cooper Institute
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Despite the hour and a half commute through traffic, Chris Kabriel has had a unique opportunity to work and learn at one of the best research centers in the United States. The Cooper Institute, located in Dallas, Texas, is a non-profit research and education center dedicated to understanding obesity, exercise physiology, nutrition and other health-related issues. Kabriel spent the majority of his time in the Division of Epidemiology working on the Aerobics Center Longitudi-nal Study (ACLS) database, which has more than 90,000 participants. “My main duty was to perform phone inter-views with randomly selected participants to verify self-reported data from follow-up surveys” said Chris. The internship experience also provided observation time at the Cooper Clinic and other facilities that have a
partnership with The Cooper Institute. “I observed body composition evaluations, audiology and optometric screening, cardiac stress testing, electron beat tomography and CAT scans” Chris explained. This experience has solidified his position and determination to work in preventative medicine. Chris, originally from Valley Falls, Kansas in Jefferson County, completed his B.S. degree in biology from Kansas State University in December 2002. He is currently completing the MPH coursework for a combined emphasis in nutrition and physical activity. For more information about The Cooper Institute, visit www.cooperinst.org
The Cooper Institute was founded on June 22, 1970.
“I had an up-close view of some amazing facilities, worked with exceptional scientists and started builiding a professional network.” - Chris Kabriel, MPH Field ExperienceDr. Kenneth H. Cooper - July 2006
Sheri Anderson has spent the last two months working with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) analyzing varicella (chickenpox) surveillance data. Beginning in April 2004, the state of Kansas required all children entering kindergarten to be immunized for chick-enpox, have a history of the disease or have an exemption from vaccination. Sheri has been helping evaluate the vac-cines effectiveness by looking for “breakthrough” infections or infections that occur in im-munized children. Chickenpox is a highly con-tagious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. A typi-cal case of chickenpox results in an itchy, blister-like rash and fever. Before the vaccine was licensed in 1995, the Cen-ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated 4 million cases of chickenpox per year in the United States with approximately 11,000 people hospialized and 100 deaths due to complications. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is now recommending a two-dose series for varicella immunization because of the number of breakthrough in-fections occuring nationwide. Anderson has found that vari-cella breakthrough infections are also a problem in Kansas. Sheri received a B.S. degree and M.S. degree in biochem-istry from Kansas State Uni-versity in 1995 and 1998. She hopes to use her background in biochemistry to study other
viruses, such as HIV, that impact public health. Sheri found that her MPH course-work in statistics and epidemiology have been invaluable in her field experi-ence.
(A) A child with “chickenpox” lesions. Complications include bacterial infections of the skin, swelling of the brain, and pneumonia.
(B) Electron micrograph of a varicella virus.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Title/Classification: Program Assistant; one-year, term appointment for part-time (30 hours per wk)
Required Education & Experience: BS degree in nutrition, food safety/security, public health exercise, or a related public health discipline. Word processing, spreadsheet, database and webpage design experience is necessary.
Applicants should submit the following information: - cover letter indicating interest and how qualifications are met, including examples of writing and computer proficiency - a brief resume - official transcripts - name, mailing address, phone number, and email address of three references
Send application materials to: Dr. Carol Ann Holcomb, MPH Program Director Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University 210 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-1407
For more information on the Master of Public Health Program and a complete description of job qualifications, please go to:www.ksu.edu/mphealth
Kansas State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
